The Beginning-Cross #1

Luke 9:23


23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.


Recently God has really begun challenging me with this verse. Deny himself, take up his cross, follow me. Sounds pretty easy on first glance...sure God, I'll deny myself that extra latte this week to follow you and make a one time donation to some organization so I can pat myself on the back and feel good about myself. Or the I'll go on a short term mission trip once, and that's all God will ever require me to do for his kingdom.

This is the thought process that is fed to many American Christians today. And hello people! that is totally NOT what Jesus was saying here. Do you really think Jesus cried blood because he was debating between the small and medium strawberry and creme frappuccino. (my personal favorite) The cross in the time when Jesus lived in human form was the sign of death (basically). It meant some awful person was going to hang from it until they suffocated on their own body weight. It meant hours, sometimes days of excruciating agony all leading up to death.

I think Jesus is calling all of us into something deeper than the superficial, mediocre life that the world is telling us is perfectly acceptable! Reliance on him is a totally foreign idea to so many of us (me included) that if we really really dug deep, I think we would all agree he has become a crutch to us. Something that is convenient when needed, but not necessary to daily survival.

His cross DAILY.

Every single day.

Not once a year.

Not once a week.

Not in the good times.

Not in the bad.

Every. Single. Day.

How many of us can truly say we do this? I know for me, living a perfectly happy, overly blessed life here in America, I don't feel the need to. I think I can make it on my own some days. But truth is....I may think I am...but it's not the best life I could have. While sitting on my bed writing this I saw a huge (and completely petrifying to this suburbanite who hates all creepy crawly things) moth start banging itself against my window. I sat here thinking, "Wow...how dumb can you get. You have wings! You can fly wherever you want! But here you are hurting yourself banging yourself up against my window wanting what I have. But clearly aren't getting."

And it clicked. The moth=us. Stupid stupid us. We are constantly banging ourselves into things thinking we know best and that we can handle this. All the while our lives that are perfectly and amazingly set before us by an amazing and all powerful God are right there! We have everything we need to go after what God has for us! But we are too busy trying to get what WE think is best and what WE think we need to even consider what is REALLY best.


Well I am totally done with this totally unsatisfying way of living. I want everything I deserve as a daughter of the Most High King. I want everything He has promised me and everything that I know I can claim.


23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.



So here is where I will document my journey of taking up my cross. Where I will vent my frustrations and questions, and explore the path God has set in front of me. The next year promises to be one of craziness and of blind faith. But that's ok. I know I have someone there who has done this before me. Who won't let me down if I fulfill me end of the deal. Daily I will work on taking up my cross.

What's your cross for this week? Or even just tomorrow? That latte money that could feed a family for a week in an improvised country? That time spent on Facebook you know should be spent doing your chores? That extra 10% set aside "tithe money" that could buy that to die for pair of shoes?



Daily cross #1 for me: Sacrificing that extra 20 minutes of sleep that seem so necessary to a college kid, to spend some time with my creator. (not really the same as being nailed to a cross I know...but I have to start somewhere right?)